RAPID CITY, SD — In a release by Bishop of Rapid City, Scott E. Bullock along with Pastors and additional representatives of the Catholic faith in the Black Hills area have uniformly condemned an announcement by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, that soldiers involved in the Wounded Knee Massacre would retain the awarded Medal Of Honor.
The massacre, which occurred in December of 1890 occurred after pushes by incoming colonists who feared Lakota resurgence called upon the military to take action. The military attempted then to corral and disarm several hundred people of their weapons. Though events are unclear, the soldiers’ botched communication and attempted disarming of a warrior, Black Coyote, who was deaf and could not speak English, resulted in his weapon discharging and the military presence lead by Colonel James Forsyth firing into the camp of gathered Lakota with rifles and early mounted machine guns. During this massacre as many as 300 people, including up to 200 women and children were killed and buried in a mass grave. Forsyth was relieved of command and condemned in military court for his actions following this.
In spite of this, 20 Medals of Honor were awarded to soldiers following the event, which has been criticized as being highly disproportionate, as military presence equated to around 500, and the number of awards given compared to battles during the American Civil War, which comparatively involved tens or even hundreds of thousands of troops.
In 1990 in a bipartisan bill congress formally declared their regret for the Massacre at Wounded Knee, and later in 2024 then secretary of defense Lloyd Austin announced an investigation was set to revoke awards given to soldiers as a result of the Massacre, however in 2025 these investigations have been officially cancelled as Secretary Pete Hegseth has stated that “Their place in our nation’s history is no longer up for debate,” implying that information to the contrary is an indicator at an attempt at historical revision and political correctness.
In their statement, the Diocese of Rapid City and De Smet Jesuits of West River said “We acknowledge the government’s intent to honor its troops, yet we reject any narrative that erases the humanity of the victims or glorifies acts of violence”. They further agree with the South Dakota Senate’s Resolution 701 which states:
“Allowing honor to the Seventh Cavalry for acts in the Wounded Knee Massacre dishonors the Medal of Honor and is an implication of hostility and genocide against the Great Sioux Nation and the persons who were killed by the United States at Wounded Knee“.
“If we deny our part in history, we deepen the harm. We cannot lie about the past without perpetuating injustice and moral blindness. Even if we are not personally responsible for Wounded Knee, we bear a moral responsibility to remember and speak the truth”.